A march to remember

by Airman 1st Class Charles V. Rivezzo
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

12/12/2012 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- As the sun began to rise on a chilly West Texas morning, Dyess Airmen loaded up their 50-pound ruck sacks prior to a four-mile march led by the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Nov. 29.

The ruck march raised esprit de corps and awareness for the sacrifices made by Air Force EOD technicians throughout the last decade. Members from the EOD flight carried dog tags with the names of 20 Air Force EOD technicians who have been killed in action.
"The ruck march was a portion of our EOD safety day, which is an Air Force-wide event that takes place annually in November," said Capt. Mark Sakai, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit.

According to a memo signed by Lt. Gen. Judith A. Fedder, Logistics, Installations and Mission Support deputy chief of staff, the importance of our EOD enablers in the current counter-IED environment cannot be underestimated and the toll on the EOD career field has been significant.

Since 2005, the Air Force has lost 20 EOD Airmen in combat operations. An additional 15 have been seriously injured and more than 110 EOD Airmen have received one or more Purple Hearts.

"The EOD safety day is a critical opportunity for these Air Force warriors to take a strategic pause to reflect on those EOD Airmen who paid the ultimate price since the war began in addition to the many who have been wounded," said Lt. Col. Michael Harner, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron commander.

After the ruck march, they continued the day by reviewing past cases and scenarios where fellow Airmen were injured or lost their lives.

"It is important for EOD technicians to review the ways in which other Airmen were injured so they can learn how the enemy is operating in order to increase the technicians' battlefield survivability while on future deployments," Sakai said.

The following day included breakfast with family members and briefings from the Base Chapel and Airman & Family Readiness Center, and a briefing on PTSD.

"These days allow the team to come together across the Air Force with support from medical and chaplain personnel to enhance their resiliency with our families since they continue to deploy every six months into very austere environments," Harner said. "These warriors put themselves at ultimate risk each time they respond to their nation's calls, whether CONUS, downrange or U.S. Secret Service support. They live by the motto of 'Initial Success or Total Failure.' This day allows them to concentrate on how they can achieve this safely and effectively."